Woodlawn
Neighborhood Guide

Woodlawn is a great, old neighborhood finally coming into it's own. Woodlawn
neighborhood is the oldest settled area in the old Albina area -- now
referred to as the Woodlawn Historic
District. Initially settled in the 1860's as a rural farming village, it
was the only independent town that existed outside
the city of Albina (now Portland). Woodlawn's character changed dramatically in 1888
when the railroad running from Portland to Vancouver located a train
station in the center of the village. This connection to a larger
market stimulated commercial and residential development. The commercial uses centered around the
train station with homes development surrounding the city center. The train depot
was located at the intersection of today's Durham and Dekum avenues and the station's waiting room was built in the middle of
a triangular park which is still present today.

Location

Features

Woodlawn is a commonly overlooked neighborhood as it seems somewhat
tucked away. Bordering industrial north and northeast Portland, Woodlawn
really is a little gem of a neighborhood which is being slowly but
surely built into a wonderful family oriented neighborhood. New
businesses have popped up in the last few years such as:
Buffalo Gardens,
Woodlawn Coffee and Pastry and
Breakside Brewery are local
hangouts and area favorites. Others like the
Good Neighbor Pizzeria
shop and The Firehouse, are well
known staples having weathered the early dormant years. The Firehouse is
a must-visit restaurant, well known for their excellent wood-fired
pizzas and amazing locally sourced dishes served in a beautiful and
unique dining setting.

The Firehouse in Woodlawn

Woodlawn Street Art

The Woodlawn Coffee and Pastry

Woodlawn's Breakside Brewery

Woodlawn's Good Neighbor Pizza

Woodlawn School is connected to the Community Garden which is connected
to Woodlawn Park -which is complete with a fun water feature and big basketball
court- making for a huge neighborhood gathering area. Nearly all the
businesses in Woodlawn are locally owned.

Woodlawn boasts a wonderful view of Vancouver, Washington at night.
There are over 14 buildings on the historic registry in our small area.
Cyclists have often been the very few "outsiders" to navigate Woodlawn
as once one knows the diagonals, Woodlawn is an excellent cut-through
when coming from Jantzen Beach or other northern destinations. One would gather
that it's
also a neighborhood that is home to cyclists, as "Share the Road" and "My
other car is a bike" bumper stickers abound. Cyclist residents enjoy
the calm streets and proximity to downtown (4 miles).

In the 1920's, paved major roads, the
improved automobile and a bridge
between Vancouver and Portland gave residents more shopping options and
businesses in Woodlawn were either swept aside for housing or converted
to factories. Woodlawn is 15 minutes travel time by car to Washington, 10 minutes to the Portland International Airport, 15 minutes to
downtown Portland and 15 minutes to excellent shopping malls in good traffic
conditions. Woodlawn is well served by buses and freight trains glide by
at the base of the bluff. Some residents move here because they love the
sight and sound of trains. Many residents commute by bicycle to their
jobs. The proximity to the airport has caused some issues due to plane
noise.

Atop the bluff, Woodlawn
is mostly residential, with Queen Annes, Craftsman bungalows, and an influx of
modern infill housing and condos. Some of those homes are occupied by
families who have lived in
Woodlawn for six generations. In the 40's and 50's many ranch and
smaller homes were built throughout the neighborhood to house the
working class residents and evacuees of the Vanport Flood. Many of the
Vanport people had worked in the shipyards during WW2.

Woodlawn is a very
desirable neighborhood with the Woodlawn Park as
a centerpiece. Art and culture are eagerly supported here, and overflow
crowds attend the productions of Trek in the Park each summer. Woodlawn in the 21st century has fascinating businesses
and unique landmarks. In recent years there’s been a
revitalization of businesses along Dekum, as envisioned in the 1993
Woodlawn Plan. We have exquisite pastry and coffee houses, fabulous
restaurants, a brewpub, and a public benefit pub, a movement studio and
a massage studio, a resale shop, a bicycle repair shop, ceramic
studios, plant nurseries and many other fascinating businesses. The
newest addition to the commercial triangle is a LEED Platinum remodel of a
historic building housing a company that makes high quality, locally
sourced, organic foods for local businesses. Light and heavy industrial
businesses flank the current train route, as do a variety of businesses
that need space, such as plant nurseries.

A special thanks to locals Ayleen Crotty and Anjala Ehelebe who
contributed this Woodlawn neighborhood profile.

Woodlawn Community Garden
- In June 2008, in collaboration with the Portland Trail Blazers and
Fred Meyer, the Woodlawn Children's Garden Program was launched. An
industrious group of volunteers from Fred Meyer and the Blazers worked
with neighborhood children to clean up the garden area, completing
several weeks of work in a matter of hours. A ceremonial planting of
vegetables by mascots Blaze the Trail Cat and Fred Bear commemorated
the new partnership. (Source: Portland Parks)

Here is a fun YouTube Video featuring "Trek in the Park" at Woodlawn
Park. If you have photos or videos of Woodlawn to share,
please contact us!

Homes

Like the neighboring
communities, Woodlawn homes are fantastic turn-of-the-last-century
classics such as Bungalows, Cape Cods, a few Victorians and Four
squares. Tree-lined, crooked streets are very quiet and mostly well maintained.

Maps - View Neighborhoods and Boundaries

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